The forests of Humboldt County in northern California. (Photo: Ethan Daniels, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Right now, families and communities are paying the price of having a president who refuses to believe in science and the advice of experts and has managed to prioritize the well-being of polluters and corporations over public health. This is all completely unprecedented.
Demonstrators outside the governor's office in the state Capitol protesting vaccination legislation. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/AP)Amid shouting and pounding on doors by hundreds of vaccination opponents, Gov. Gavin Newsom late Monday signed two bills designed to limit medical exemptions for school vaccinations. Hundreds of vaccination opponents delayed state Senate action on the bills for two hours by shouting from the gallery and displaying an upside-down American flag.
A chalkboard in a vintage charter school.(Photo: Greg and Jan Ritchie, via Shutterstock)OPINION: With Election Day less than a week away, voters have started casting ballots in the race for Superintendent of Public Instruction between Assemblymember Tony Thurmond and former Partnership for Los Angeles Schools CEO Marshall Tuck. Pundits are framing the race as a face-off between teachers’ unions and education reformers – no surprise, since one of the race’s key debates has been about whether or not charter schools are good for public education.
A natural gas plant in Oxnard. (Photo: Henrik Lehnerer)OPINION: The state Legislature is currently considering a two-part proposal to extend the California greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program and target local air pollution reductions across California. As a member of the California Air Resources Board’s Environmental Justice Advisory Committee (EJAC), a resident of the Inland Empire, and a strong advocate for the pollution reductions that our families need and deserve, I support Eduardo Garcia and his leadership in helping pass AB 398 and AB 617.
Illustration: Quentin Lueninghoener, FairWarningFairWarning: The formula has turned the firm, now named Exponent, Inc., into a publicly traded giant in litigation defense and regulatory science. It’s a go-to destination for major industries with liability problems – even as it is derided by critics as a hired gun whose findings are for sale.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer at a political rally in San Diego. (Photo: AP/Lenny Ignelzi)California Republicans don’t have a deep statewide bench. But they may have a rising star in San Diego — Mayor Kevin Faulconer. “He would be a very compelling candidate for statewide office if he ever chose to run,” said state GOP Chairman Jim Brulte, who led Republicans in both houses of the Legislature. Faulconer, who came to power in the wake of the scandal-plagued administration of Democrat Bob Filner, has ruled out running for governor in 2018.
Photo: Monticello, via ShutterstockThe California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has issued shocking assertions about the dangers of Bisphenol-A (BPA). In one sense they are right, their research findings are shocking – but only because they contradict the published scientific literature on BPA safety as well as the opinions of credible global health experts, including our own United State Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
A simulated view through a microscope of bacterias in the shape of California. (Illustration: Pat Bengtsson, via Shutterstock)With no fanfare, California’s $3 billion stem cell agency is making a significant step forward in openness and transparency regarding the dealings of its governing board, which operates outside of the control of the governor and Legislature. Tuesday’s meeting of the directors’ Science Subcommittee will be available live for the first time — for all practical purposes — on the Internet and as an audiocast, including access to presentations that are used at the meeting.
Pumpjacks in a Kern County oil field, November 2013. (Photo: Christopher Halloran)Oil and gas wells are deeply embedded in many California neighborhoods. Because we have no statewide limits on how close such wells can be to homes or schools, millions of Californians live within breathing distance of these polluting oil operations. That’s a huge concern — especially as hydraulic fracturing and other extreme oil extraction techniques spread across our state.
Tom Torlakson, left, and Marshall Tuck, candidates for state schools superintendent, debate the issues. (Photo: Frame capture, calchannel.granicus)For an obscure elective office that is often ignored, unknown or regarded as superfluous in California’s convoluted education bureaucracy, the November election for state Superintendent of Public Instruction is shaping up as one of the most contentious — and costly — races among statewide candidates. It has become a lightning rod for widespread dissatisfaction with schools in California, which have consistently been ranked among the lowest-performing and poorly funded in the nation.